The passenger compartment of a typical passenger carrying vehicle, such as a four door sedan, consists of a floorboard, a forward fire wall separating the passenger compartment from the engine compartment, a rear fire wall separating the passenger compartment from the trunk and gas tank, four entry doors, four side door windows, a windshield, a rear window, a left and a right roof supporting "A" pillar, a left and a right roof supporting center body pillar, a left and a right roof supporting rear quarter pillar, and a roof. Several of such passenger compartment structural components may be armored without significantly detracting from the appearance and function of the passenger compartment. For example, all of the vehicle's windows may be armored by removing the original manufacturer's equipment (OEM) windows, by installing reveal moldings adapted to accommodate bullet resistant glass having a thickness of approximately one inch, and by installing the bullet resistant glass in place of the OEM windows. Utilization of thick bullet resistant windows does not significantly diminish interior appearance or visibility, and does not significantly reduce space available for passengers in the passenger compartment. The doors of a common four door sedan may similarly be armored by removing OEM water deflectors mounted within the interior spaces of the doors and replacing the water deflectors with bullet resistant or ballistic panels, such panels being molded or formed so that they fit into the space formerly occupied by the water deflectors. Replacement of door water deflectors with ballistic panels has no impact upon the appearance or function of the passenger compartment. The forward and rear fire walls of such a sedan may similarly be armored without detracting from or diminishing the function or appearance of the passenger compartment.
The upper body frame members of a four door sedan (i.e., left and right "A" pillars, the left and right center body pillars, the left and right rear quarter pillars, and the roof) typically present additional impediments to armoring. For example, addition of exterior armor to an "A" pillar detracts from the exterior appearance of the vehicle, and addition of interior armor to such "A" pillar commonly detracts from the interior appearance of the passenger compartment of the vehicle. Also, such "A" pillars typically have insufficient interior space for receiving armoring material; and it is often prohibitively expensive to fabricate a replacement "A" pillar of hardened bullet resistant steel. The roof, center body pillars, and rear quarter pillars of a typical four door sedan present similar obstacles to armoring.
The method and assembly of the present invention offers a novel and inventive solution to such impediments to armoring upper body frame members, providing for ballistic stratification of passenger compartment trims, moldings and head liners with molded laminaes of ballistic fibers.